lak,mansoureh

The Relationship among Teacher’s Care, Students’ Growth Language Mindset, and Engagement: The Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy

A key element of meaningful and active English as a foreign language (EFL) learning is engagement, which is influenced by a learner's internal (students’ growth language mindset and academic self-efficacy) as well as external (teacher care) factors. With an emphasis on the mediating function of academic self-efficacy, this study examined the relationship between academic engagement, students’ growth language mindset, and perceived teacher care. Five hundred twenty-six Iranian EFL students participated in the study and answered four questionnaires concerning academic engagement, students’ growth language mindset, teacher care, and academic self-efficacy. The structural equation modeling results showed that both perceived teacher care and students’ growth language mindset had a direct and positive impact on academic engagement. Furthermore, student growth mindset was positively correlated with teacher care. Moreover, academic self-efficacy acted as a mediator in the relationships between academic engagement and perceived teacher care, as well as between students’ growth language mindset and academic engagement. The results showed that EFL students' growth language mindset and self-efficacy may both be positively impacted by their teachers providing them with greater attention. These students can successfully overcome failures and challenges in their learning process by demonstrating greater persistence in overcoming obstacles and maintaining their interest, which could significantly increase their engagement in the learning process.